Shirley Bassey Forever Gold

I have a love-hate thing going with the Oscars. 

While I think the whole voting system is likely a sham simply tied to politics, and the show is often lackluster, I’m still there in front of the tube each year soaking up the action.

The main reason for returning to the scene of the crime annually is because the Oscars often turns me on to films I missed on the big screen the first time around. After watching the Academy Awards, I often find myself playing catch up and devouring a bevy of movies shortly thereafter. The broadcast also has me reconsidering watching films I may have bypassed initially.

Then come the surprises. This year it came in the form of a stunning, show-stealing performance courtesy of Dame Shirley Bassey. 

Not only did she look absolutely gorgeous at 76, but her live rendition of “Goldfinger” was as strong and stirring as it was when she first recorded it nearly 50 years ago. She gave tangible evidence why it’s the greatest Bond song of all time, and she did so by proving she hasn’t lost a step. Ms. Bassey’s delivery was nearly operatic. 

Watching and hearing Bassey perform was akin to seeing an over-the-hill George Foreman take the world heavyweight boxing championship from Michael Moorer back in ’94. I imagine Adele was watching from backstage and scribbling notes on a cocktail napkin.

If you missed it, watch here:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xxrtw7_shirley-bassey-goldfinger-oscars-2013_shortfilms#.US-QUetHeqw

Each year I preview the Oscars with a special edition of my radio show. This year I featured interviews with Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, Tim Burton and the cast of “Frankenweenie.”

Stream or download here:

http://1690wmlb.com/the-annual-oscars-episode/

Netflix Find #2

“Being Human” 

These days I rarely have the time to sink my teeth into episodic television. Being at the mercy of a show’s allocated time slot and having to make a date to catch each episode is beyond me. Thankfully Netflix has become a gateway to reintroducing me to the beauty of a solid TV series.

The British supernatural drama “Being Human” is certainly one of those. Imagine a monsterized version of “Three’s Company” without the bad sex jokes and studio audience. George (Russell Tovey), a werewolf, Mitchell (Aidan Turner), a vampire, and Annie (Lenora Crichlow), a ghost, share a flat. The trio also helps each other as they go through the trials and tribulations of being things that go bump in the night. 

Having made it as far as the first half of season two, I must say “Being Human” has remained strong and steady throughout. It’s managed to steer clear from potential shark-jumping moments and get back on track after the threat of derailment. Thrills and chills abound amid a myriad of plot turns that keep things exciting. Yet, it's not all blood and scares. The show runners inject the right amount of humor to help the laughs balance out the gasps. 

Season one is arguably the strongest thus far. Episode highlights include “Tully,” which finds George befriending a fellow werewolf who won’t go away. Mitchell becomes a virtual big brother to a neighborhood kid in “Another Fine Mess,” but a misunderstanding has dire consequences. “Where the Wild Things Are” is woven together with notable twists and turns as Annie haunts her ex-fiance after she uncovers his dark secret. 

The series isn’t complete perfection, however, among the landscape of contemporary monster fare, “Being Human” has more reliable juice running through its veins than “True Blood” and the rest of its undead competition.

Toys to Die For

Several years before many sections of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution fluttered away into the wind due to cutbacks, each February for four years I had the wonderful opportunity to cover the American International Toy Fair in New York. That’s when most toy companies from all over the world unveil their offerings for the coming year.

For an overgrown kid and card-carrying geek like me, it was a dream that could never be defined as work. I basically got to spend four or five days playing in a toy box and getting paid for it.

This year, however, I wasn’t able to attend. Instead I’m living vicariously through online reports and super cool toy pics. I’m running out of shelf space in our overcrowded home, and I have no business shelling out dough for toys these days. But I can’t help but salivate over coverage of Toy Fair 2013. It's enough to make we want to add a wing onto Casa de Agua.

Here are some of my favorite finds:

The “Star Wars” Black Series from Hasbro features killer 6-inch figures with sculpts and more articulation.

Mattel’s figures based on the 1966 “Batman” TV series are absolutely amazing.

“The Munsters” figures from Diamond Select feature different costumes and even Uncle Gilbert. Each of the four figures includes a special piece. Buy all four and you can use the pieces to build Spot, Eddie Munster’s pet dragon. 

Bif Bang Pow’s! “Twilight Zone” figures are smoking cool.

Kids of the ’80s with a deep-seeded love for “Masters of the Universe” will feel the power of Grayskull with Mattel’s “Masters of the Universe” Classics line, featuring a massive Castle Grayskull. 

Legos remain the big building bricks on the block, and each year it seems to snag more licenses. Keep your eyes peeled for Legos based on Disney’s upcoming film “The Lone Ranger.” 

NECA is killing it with toys based on both classic and current movies. It’s “game over, man” all over again with it’s amazing “Aliens” figures.

Jakks Pacific takes us over the rainbow with figures based on “Oz the Great and Powerful.”

Feeling the Bang!

Pro rasslin’ has somehow weaved its ring ropes through my life ever since I was a wee lad. 

As a child I was glued to “Georgia Championship Wrestling” and hung on to ever word announcer Gordon Solie, the Walter Cronkite of wrestling, dispensed from his lips. I watched in awe as every masked heel and bleached blonde babyface battled it out in the squared circle. The lisp-laced anecdotes of Dusty Rhodes and ego-centric rants of of Ric Flair all became words to live by.

While I’ve never been a man of mammoth stature, I found myself entering the wrestling ring in the late ’90s to be trained as a bad guy manager. I became the Monopoly Man, a money grubbing socialite in a top hat and tails with a penchant for cheating. 

A few years later I found myself working for Dusty Rhodes himself, managing a stable of wrestlers in his Turnbuckle Championship Wresting (TCW) organization. Although our television show never materialized, it was an amazing opportunity to work alongside some of the heroes of my youth and the stars of tomorrow. 

My fondest memory of working in TCW came on a Friday evening in Carrollton, Georgia. The TCW TV show was on the verge of launching in Macon, and Dusty was busy compiling footage. This particular night would play host to a tag team tournament, and I was paired with a couple of guys (Shocker Sean Evans and Sonny Siaki), both of whom I’d never met.

Rhodes asked each of the eight or so tag teams to cut a videotaped interview as if our respective team had won the tournament. When it was our turn, Rhodes told my wrestlers to keep quiet and let me do the talking. 

After my caffeinated promo, a flurry of applause from all of the wrestlers on the set followed. Dusty Rhodes and the booking team then adjourned to a back room.

Dusty and company emerged with a decision. My team would win the tournament.

That proved to be the ultimate compliment from one of the greatest performers in rasslin’ history. And I’ve kept that accolade in a constant headlock inside my mind ever since. 

After TCW failed to take off, I put my top hat and Monopoly money away and concentrated on focusing most of my time on journalism. Yet, as fate would have it, wrestling keeps pulling me back in.

This time, however, it’s in the name of fitness. Late last December I wrote an article for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about former WCW champion Diamond Dallas Page and his newfound career as a health and fitness guru. Instead of body slams, Page is transforming bodies with DDP Yoga, his hybrid of yoga moves, calisthenics, rehab techniques and dynamic resistance. He’s literally saving lives, and the results have jaws scraping the floor. If you've never seen the Arthur Boorman video, do yourself a favor and watch: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qX9FSZJu448#!

I became so impressed with DDP Yoga that I decided to give it a go. Today I start my sixth week in the program. I’m 20 pounds lighter, getting toned and becoming increasingly more flexible. Thanks to DDP Yoga, I actually look forward to exercising. This is coming from a guy who would typically prefer to be curled up on a couch in the fetal position nursing a bag of Funyuns.

Instead of managing wrestlers, I’m getting to know them, including Page and his housemates, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Scott Hall. Seeing Page at work is nothing short of inspirational. I honestly believe this is much more than a second career to him. Positivity emanates from the man, and his main concern isn't about lining his pockets. The towering dude with the tattooed biceps has a heart underneath those pecs. Diamond Dallas Page genuinely wants to help his fellow man. 

Roberts is a living and breathing inspiration, having dropped nearly 70 pounds and walked away from the throws of addiction. Hall may be the new kid on the block, but the determination I see in his eyes might eventually make him Page’s next they-said-it-couldn’t-be-done success story.

Many wrestling fans could have never imagined Page as a fitness icon, Jake “The Snake” turning his life around or Scott Hall reaching for redemption. For me, I would’ve never imagined that wrestling would still be making an impact in my life by providing me with a health regimen like nothing I’ve ever experienced.

Yeah, rasslin’ keeps pulling me back in, but I ain’t tapping out. 

Here’s a link to my story on Diamond Dallas Page and DDP Yoga:

http://www.ajc.com/news/lifestyles/health/former-wrestler-uses-yoga-to-transform-lives/nTfw6/

You can learn more about DDP Yoga here:

https://www.store.ddpyoga.com/

"Finding Max" Part Two

Seeing the story of my family in print is nothing but surreal. Having our images plastered on the Sunday edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is truly odd, a sensation I can’t say I’m totally used to.

Yet, writing a Cliff’s Notes-style account of the unorthodox sprouting and growth of our brood has certainly been the most difficult part. Deciding what to include, wading through the tough stuff and attempting to tell a story that flows smoothly, and remains honest, compelling, informative and entertaining was no easy task.

The end result, however, has me swimming in an attitude of gratitude. I’m grateful to have this amazing family, one that’s anchored down by the love of my life. I’m grateful to have three fantastically unique kids who each inspire me everyday. And I’m grateful to be surrounded by unwavering support from remarkable parents, siblings, extended family, friends and editors.

I’ve been working on a book about this experience, and I’m currently at the halfway point. My goal is to see it published, and I hope it happens. But I can honestly say that if I walk away with this two-part article as a love letter to my family, and if someone is inspired to adopt a child after reading our story, then I’ve already won.

I may still be clipping coupons, but I’ve most definitely hit the lottery with my wife and kids. I’m a rich man.

Here’s Part One of “Finding Max”: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/finding-max-part-1/nWQQ2/

Here’s Part Two of “Finding Max”: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/finding-max/nWWdq/

Netflix Find #1

Throughout my attempt to make it through the 400-plus movies in my Netflix instant queue, I’ll be highlighting some of my favorite celluloid stops along the way.

“The Hole” 

Although it was helmed by the geeky and great Joe Dante, the director of “Gremlins,” “The Howling” and arguably the best segment in “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” “The Hole” was merely a blip on the theatrical landscape. It’s 2012 big-screen stateside release came and went without much fanfare, and then it seemingly descended into its own bottomless pit of oblivion.

Thankfully it’s come up for air via Netflix. And while it may not rank among the best of the director’s bunch, “The Hole” certainly delivers plenty of ’80s-style frights while retaining elements of classic Dante.

When 17-year-old Dane (Chris Massoglia) and his 10-year-old brother Lucas (Nathan Gamble) move into their new home with their single mom, the boys soon discover a hidden and padlocked trapdoor in the basement. The pair befriend their teenage next door neighbor, Julie (Haley Bennett), and upon opening the door they find that the mysterious hole doesn’t seem to have a bottom.

After cracking open the trapdoor, a cavalcade of creepiness soon follows. Ghosts, a possessed clown doll and an eerie stalker are among the sinister goings on. Dante’s presentation provides some genuinely scary moments padded an expert build up of tension and startling payoffs.

While “The Hole” has some of the spirit of Dante’s ’80s heyday, including the obligatory Dick Miller cameo, its biggest foil lies within a few simple storytelling and acting flaws. On more than one occasion the trio of young protagonists walk away from shocking supernatural encounters unfazed, as if being attacked by a stuffed clown or haunted by a young girl are matter-of-fact, everyday occurrences in suburbia.

Yet, the film stands apart from contemporary genre offerings by skipping the hard-to-stomach gratuitous gore of torture horror and relying on old-school spookiness. “The Hole” has a sense of innocence and wonder to it that hasn’t been seen since Spielberg, Dante, Landis and their contemporaries were the hottest young gun directors in Hollywood.

The Wright Stuff

It was 1987 and my face was hurting.

Steven Wright and his trademark brand of deadpan comedy was bringing the house down at Symphony Hall, and I couldn’t stop laughing. At the time the frizzy headed Wright was one of the hottest comics on the planet.

Fast forward to 2013 and Wright retains the same M.O. His blank expression hasn’t changed in the past 26 years, but if anything, his surreal observational humor has just gotten smarter. In fact it’s probably become as warped as Dali’s melting clocks.

His recent show at Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse proved Wright still has, well, the right stuff. For me, the particular occasion was soaked in irony. I had only seen Wright live once in my life, and I was 17 at the time. My second show was the Variety Playhouse gig, and this time I had my own 17-year-old son in tow.

Wiping the tears away from our eyes after nearly two hours of non-stop laughter, my son, Max, and I headed to meet Wright. I had interviewed the comedian for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and we got on so well that he invited me backstage.

Meeting Wright in person was further proof that his real-life persona isn’t too far from the on-stage character. Although he does in fact manage to smile, he’s still predominately monotone and subdued.

But that soon changed. 

Wright was chatting with us about the venue when Max chimed in.

“I’ve actually performed here before,” Max said.

When Wright asked about his performance, Max, who happens to have dwarfism, explained that he has done shows at the Variety Playhouse with Big Mike Geier and performed as an elf alongside Santa Claus.

I told Wright all about the local phenomenon that is Big Mike.

“Is he nice?” Wright asked Max.

“Who?” Max said without missing a beat. “Big Mike or Santa?”

Wright’s stoic face lit up and he burst into laughter.

“You got me,” he told Max.

Nearly 30 years later and my face is still hurting from the laughter caused by Steven Wright. Interestingly enough, my own son’s face now aches for the same reason. And thanks to Max, Steven Wright’s laughing, too.

Here's a link to my interview:

http://www.accessatlanta.com/news/entertainment/comedian-steven-wright-remains-delightfully-deadpa/nWFWC/

You can listen to my radio show, which features more of the conversation with Wright:

http://1690wmlb.com/steven-wright-and-the-big-apple-circus/

Finding Max

Most big occurrences in my life seem to be linked to two things: pop culture and kismet.

When my wife and I decided to start a family more than a decade ago, my love for Saturday morning TV played a mammoth part. As a huge fan of “H.R. Pufnstuf,” that trippy live action kiddie show from the late ’60s, I was stoked to interview Joy Campbell McKenzie, who played Orson on the program. 

It was 1997 and my wife, Andrea, and I took the Joy and her family, who were visiting Atlanta at the time, out to dinner. All three McKenzies have dwarfism, and we were so inspired by their optimistic outlook on life that it eventually led to us to adopt a 5-year-old Russian boy with dwarfism. His name was Max, our favorite moniker for a boy, and he was born on the day I proposed to Andrea. It was meant to be.

More than 12 years of adventure has followed peppered with success and tribulation, belly laughs and tears. Our family has grown, and we’re still close with the McKenzies to this day. 

I’ve been working on a book about our story, talking with agents and getting great response, but haven’t found a publisher. Yet, kismet came into play once again when Suzanne Van Atten and Ken Foskett, a pair of amazing editors at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,  gave me a chance to tell our tale, giving readers a sneak peek at the book I hope to publish.

Part one of “Finding Max” hit newsstands on February 17, with part two on its way February 24. Here’s a link to part one for you to read, if you’re so inclined.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/finding-max-part-1/nWQQ2/